


Play Your Cards Right

by Liji



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Victorian, Depression, F/F, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Homosexuality, Implied Relationships, M/M, Nineteenth Century, Obsession, Percabeth Mention, because it's the nineteenth century but the language isn't too bad, jasper mention, medical student will, not quite a black butler au but similar to one, revenge obsessed nico who runs the crime underworld, solangelo, tsundere nico
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-04-23 14:03:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4879639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liji/pseuds/Liji
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will had always grown up hearing rumors and gossip about the Earl Di Angelo, and how he ran the underworld, bringing even the most feared criminal to their knees.<br/>He just wasn't expecting him to be so tiny.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The Victorian Era was considered a time of development, of progress, of glamor. However, only those lucky enough to be born into the upper class or those who had managed to claw their way up there experienced the glamor and beauty of England under the Queen Victoria’s rule.

There was not a soul in London who did not know the name Nico Di Angelo. Nobody would call him that, however. He was always the Earl Di Angelo, the Italian boy who inherited the Di Angelo’s family wealth at the fragile age of ten. Now fourteen and without parents, the Earl lived in the shadows, controlling people like they were puppets and running the underworld of crime. Owning no servants, he lived a solitary existence, never attending the parties and dances that were so popular in the fine city of London.

William Solace was the young son of the Lord Solace, a charismatic and popular man who invested in the import of oranges, running one of the largest fruit businesses in the world. This earned him the nickname “Apollo”. Will was his third son. Being the third son, he had no hope of inheriting the business and chose instead to study medicine in the hopes of being a physician. Clever and handsome, he charmed his way into the hearts of many young ladies. However, he was never promised to any of them, never made any advances.

But this isn’t the story of any of those ladies. This is the story of how he charmed another boy, and how they were cursed from the very beginning.

* * *

 

Will sat uncomfortably on one of the chairs in the corner, trying to subtly signal to his younger brother Austin to be quiet. Two older ladies in fine dresses, blue being the current fashionable color, were gossiping loudly and cheerfully.

There was always gossip at the parties he went to, but he had never particularly cared for it. Scandals always seemed quite silly to him. How Lady Gardener’s daughter had been found with a common pickpocket had been the latest news, and the first he’d paid attention to. Katie was a dear friend of his. Other than that, he had never cared for the stories gentlemen and ladies loved to spread around.

But the ladies were discussing the Earl Di Angelo. His attention had been piqued as soon as he’d heard one lady say, “Have you heard about the little Earl, the Italian?”

A month ago, Will would have not spared it a second thought. He knew the Earl’s name, but otherwise very little. Most, Will included, had never met the boy in person. They preferred it that way, if the stories of death and destruction that followed him everywhere were true.

That had all changed a week ago.

_Will turned the page of the book he was reading and rested his head on the side of his chair. It was late, and he should retire soon. The dull fogginess of fatigue crept into his mind, and he felt exhausted. Closing the book, he leaned over to blow out the candle and-_

_Clink._

_Will froze. He could have sworn he heard something from the window. He cautiously set the book down and stood up, walking slowly towards the window. Will picked up a heavy vase, hoping to smash it on the intruder’s head. He debated screaming for help, but then again, it could just be his imagination taking advantage of his fatigue to play tricks on him._

_Muffled scratching came from the other side of the window and Will gripped the vase tighter. He reached out one hand to unlock the window, to see if it was perhaps a lost bird, when it was thrown open and a small black shape somersaulted in._

_Definitely not a bird._

_Will held the vase above his head and was about to bring it down when the shape was suddenly behind him, keeping one gloved hand over his mouth. How the Hell had he slipped around him that quickly?_

_“Don’t worry, I won’t harm you. I just need gauze, and then I’ll leave and never bother you again. Understand?” It hissed in his ear. The voice was male, with a slight unrecognizable accent. It sounded a bit as if the intruder was deliberately deepening his voice. His first thought was that the hand covering his mouth smelled faintly of the rust scent found in blood. A smell he was familiar with, from being around the sick and injured all his life. The arm around him went slack, as if expecting Will to do what he asked._

_Will spun around, not letting go of the vase. He found himself staring into dark eyes with a wild, almost madman-like, glint in them. The intruder was shorter than him, and had a mask covering the lower half of his face and forehead. Judging from the smooth skin around his eyes, the intruder was just a boy like him. This made some of the tension go out his shoulders, and that’s when he noticed the gunshot wound._

_It was in his left arm, and had blood dripping from it freely. It looked like the boy had attempted to bandage it with a piece of fabric torn from his black shirt, but the blood was seeping through and under._

_Will dropped the vase in his astonishment, and the thick carpeting muffled it’s landing. Luckily it didn’t break, and instead rolled under the bed._

_“You’re hurt!” He exclaimed. The other boy rolled his eyes._

_“What else would I need the gauze for?” He said, not trying to deepen his voice this time. “Just get them for me and you never have to see me again.”_

_Will shook his head. “Do you even know how to sanitize the wound? I’m training to be a doctor, I can help you!”_

_The boy stared at him in disbelief._

_“How stupid do you think I am? Like I don’t know you’re going to alert the entire household if I let you out of my sight.”_

_Will shook his head emphatically._

_“No, please, let me help! I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t. I’m a doctor, I can’t see someone in pain without wanting to do something about it.”_

_The boy snorted in disdain._

_“Right, and that includes a man that just broke into your house. Just get the gauze and I’ll leave.”_

_Will smirked slightly at his use of the word “man”. He only looked to be about fourteen or fifteen._

_“If I’m going to get that, I might as well get the materials to clean out the wound as well. Just trust me.”_

_Some of the tension went out of the boy’s shoulders, as if WIll had finally convinced him he wasn’t a threat. He let out a sigh, clearly annoyed by his stubborn attitude._

_“Damn all you Good Samaritans. If you try to get help, you should know I’m armed and can outrun anything. Besides, you could never press charges.”_

_Will didn’t question that statement. Instead, he picked up the vase and put it back on the shelf where it belonged._

_“I won’t. The gauze are kept on the other side of the house, so I’ll have to go get them. Try not to move until I get back.” Will insisted, and the boy nodded, still looking slightly bewildered as to why he was getting this help. It didn’t stop him from patting a bulge in his pocket as if to remind Will that he was, in fact, deadly._

_Will crept into the hallway, keeping one hand on the wall. With no candle to light his way, he’d have to walk the halls by memory alone. A candle could have woken up any of his brothers or sisters._

_Treading carefully so he didn’t make any noise, he opened the door to where the medical supplies were kept and grabbed a roll of gauze, as well as a liquid that was part iodine to treat the wound. His eyes had adjusted to the dark by now, and getting back was much easier. He opened the door to his bedroom and slipped inside. The boy sat cross legged on the floor, trying to keep pressure on the wound. He looked up when Will came in and and a faint flash of relief showed on his face, before it went back to it’s usual impassive, almost angry mask._

_“Lay down and take off your shirt.” Will ordered, organizing what he’d need. The boy looked hesitant and Will could have sworn a slight blush appeared on his cheeks. Probably just a trick of the light. He complied, stripping off his blood soaked shirt and then laying on it._

_The bullet appeared to have grazed him, missing the bone but leaving a deep cut that blood was dripping from, forming a small river down his arm and collecting in the palm of his hand. Will came over to him and knelt down._

_“This is going to hurt, but you can’t make any sound.” He said, holding up the bottle of iodine mixture. The boy fought a grimace and nodded, holding out his arm. Will sprinkled a few drops of it in the wound, and the boy let out a small gasp and then was silent._

_Will then started to wrap gauze around his arm._

_“Why did you come here?” He asked curiously. “No, how did you get here?”_

_The boy looked away, looking almost embarrassed._

_“I got lost. I meant to go to a friend’s house, but ended up here instead. By this time, I had lost too much blood to make it there. I thought this was the servant’s quarters, and I can usually scare the servants into getting me what I need. So I forced the window open and here I am. Why are you helping me, anyway?” he said in an almost clipped tone_

_Will had stayed silent during the brief story, tightening the gauze and checking vitals for any other injuries. He bit his lip and looked down at the wound._

_“I can’t see other people in pain without wanting to help. You didn’t seem like you were going to hurt me or anything, so what was there to stop me?”_

_“Oh.” The boy muttered, and an uncomfortable silence descended over them._

_“How did you get shot, anyway?” Will asked, stepping back to admire his work. He had stopped the blood flow, but what he could see of the boy’s face remained a sickly pale._

_“My job can be dangerous at times.” The boy said simply. Will would have replied, but he was too transfixed._

_He could only see the wound when he had first seen the boy, as it had been the focus of his attention. Now, though, with the wound wrapped up, Will could start to appreciate the rest of the boy. He could tell his skin was usually an olive color, and would be had he not lost so much blood. His arms were thick with wiry muscle and his chest wasn’t exactly broad, but he was- well, he was stunning. Beautiful._

_Will shook his head to clear it of the indecent, horrible thoughts. He could never truly be himself in society. He was a walking crime, a sin. He had managed to keep that part of him buried for so many years, and this boy was starting to bring it to the surface again. Like Hell was he letting that happen. He glanced around, looking for something to say, anything at all._

_“What’s your name?” The boy asked suddenly. Will jumped, startled._

_“It’s Will. Well, it’s William Solace but everyone just calls me Will.” He blathered somewhat awkwardly, hoping he’d kept a neutral expression. The boy nodded._

_“Thank you, Will.” He said simply, pulling on his shirt over again and adjusting the mask he had never taken off. Will blinked and realized what he meant to do._

_“Wha- No! You can’t leave yet!” He exclaimed, reaching out a hand as if to physically push the boy back down again. The boy looked annoyed. Or just confused. It was hard to tell with the mask._

_“Why not?” He asked. “I need to get home.”_

_“You’ve lost too much blood! You’re too dizzy and weak to make it far!”_

_The boy shook his head dismissively. “I’ll be fine. Anyway, you can’t exactly stop me.”_

_With that said, the boy lifted one leg and placed it on the window sill, lifting himself up and crouching there almost like a cat. He was about to jump when Will reached out and grabbed his right hand._

_“Yes, I can. You’re my patient, and I’m the doctor. So you have to stay, doctor’s orders.”_

_The boy’s eyes flickered to their joint hands and quickly withdrew his. Will crossed his arms across his chest and gave him a stern look. The boy sighed in exasperation._

_“Think about it. There’s no possible way you can hide me with servants milling about, not to mention your family. If I’m discovered, it will just lead to gossip and awkward questions. Besides, I’ve been hurt much worse than this before and survived.”_

_“At least tell me your name.” Will asked almost pleadingly, his words about having “been hurt much worse than this” ringing through his head. The boy’s expression was unreadable with the mask. He seemed to be facing an internal struggle before coming to a conclusion._

_“Nico Di Angelo.” He muttered quietly and almost indecipherably, and jumped out of the window._

“Will? Are you alright?” Austin, his younger brother, asked worriedly. “Do you need some water?”

Will looked up and shook his head, as if to remove the memories that had come flooding back.

“I’m fine.” He reassured his brother, focusing his attention back on the gossiping ladies. They weren’t exactly trying to keep their voices down.

“I heard that his sister is visiting all the way from America!” The older one asked excitedly. The younger, more extravagantly dressed one, drew in a breath and leaned closer.

“Are we talking about the same Di Angelo? I thought his sister died around the same time as his father. What was her name again? Bella?”

The older lady shook her head dramatically.

“It was Bianca. The poor dear was murdered, tragically. But it turns out his father had a mistress in America, and he has a half-sister no one knew about! She’s going to be visiting him for a while.”

The younger lady looked gleefully and properly scandalized.

“The brat of a mistress? Visiting? Is this an Italian thing?”

The first woman shook her head. "Who knows?"

She signaled for a drink and the topic was dropped, so Will turned to face Austin again.

“Sorry, I’m just tired. Maybe we should go home.”

Austin looked as if he was about to argue before sighing and nodding in indifference, going off to signal to their other brothers and sisters that it was time to leave.

Will wondered, for what must have been the hundredth time that week, how the Hell he was going to get the blood stains off the carpet before anyone noticed.


	2. Ace of Diamonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Will and Nico meet again in an unlikely, and very public place.

Nico wasn’t quite sure how he’d gotten dragged into this.

When Hazel had first contacted him, he’d been unsure of how to react. She was the daughter of a mistress. He hadn’t known his father had been having an affair. For all he knew, she wasn’t his only sibling. He had thought having her around would just bring back bad memories of his mother and his true sister, Bianca. Besides, he didn’t want anyone getting in the way of his revenge on her murderer. 

The white-hot flash of anger and the undercurrent of guilt that never really left him shot through him like a bolt of lightning. Wasn’t there a point where he was supposed to go numb, and just not feel anymore? He supposed that was partly true. Nico couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed, or just felt that tugging at the corners of his mouth. All there was left in him so pain and regret and emptiness. She’d taken all the light in him when she died. He would find whoever cut her throat, and take their life personally. It was that burning desire for revenge that had kept him going for so long. Then she arrived.

She was a little younger than him, and very sweet, but also deadly, if the knives hidden in her corset meant anything. Hazel hadn’t brought back the bad memories he thought she would and was perfectly happy to let Nico do as he pleased. Sometimes the way she sang in the shower, or wolfed down a piece of bread in the morning made Nico feel something he hadn’t since Bianca. Just brief flashes of an emotion he could never name. Thee only way he could think to describe it was “not loneliness”, but that was just silly. Nico didn’t need anyone in his life, he was fine on his own. Although he couldn’t deny that having her here could even be described as… nice. It was almost nice.

Except for some reason, she was dragging him to a party. 

“But why do I have to come?” He complained loudly, for what must have been the fourth time that hour. “I despise socializing! And dancing!”

She sighed in exasperation, closing the book she had been peacefully reading by the light of the sunset. The carriage she had hired (with a few choice words to Nico about learning to invest so they didn’t have to hire a carriage every time. Nico pointedly ignored her choice of the word “we”) bounced on the rocky roads leading into the city and the dreaded party. 

“You have no servants, claiming you can’t trust anyone to work in your home. You have no friends besides me, only shady people you do business with. I only want you to make some friends.”

He wanted to tell her he did have a friend. It lay on the tip of his tongue, but was kept prisoner by his mouth that wouldn’t open. Did Will even consider him his friend? No, did Will hate him now, knowing who he was?

Hazel took his silence for confirmation. “See! You’re a good person, I know people would like you if you gave them a chance to! Please, Nico. I worry about you.”

Nico sighed, and rested one disgustingly shiny shoe on the seat across from him. Horribly improper, but he doubted Hazel would mind.

“What kind of party is it anyway?” he asked grouchily, irritated at her for being so damn thoughtful. His bullet wound was beginning to ache again and it was making him utterly miserable. Well, more miserable than usual.

She smiled, looking victorious.

“It’s a party to celebrate the sixteenth birthday of the Lord Jason Grace. Do you know him?” she asked, straightening her hat.

Nico sat in silence, digesting that information. He’d saved the lord’s life a year back, by stabbing a shady man that was giving him trouble. This man was a known serial killer Nico had been hunting for a while, so his saving of the lord’s life was completely coincidental. Even still, for reasons he could never quite fathom, the lord had insisted on sending him invitations to every party or dance the Grace household hosted. Nico had always tossed them into the fire without a second thought. He frowned. Hazel must have gone through his mail. 

Hazel sighed at his lack of response, and checked her delicate silver pocket watch. Nico could tell they were terribly late by the way her eyebrows came together slightly. Years running the criminal underworld required being good at reading body language. Nico felt slightly guilty. He had taken his time selecting his clothes, hoping to avoid it all together. 

“Oh, I think we’re here,” Hazel said, looking out the window. “This looks like the right place.”

Nico glanced out the window, and was taken aback. They had arrived at a sprawling mansion that seemed to climb up into the sky. Beautiful statues of what looked like Greek origin dotted the green, well-kept gardens.

The door was opened by a short butler, and all Nico could see was the greasy hair at the top of his head. He inclined his head.

“Good evening, my lord,” he said in an oily tone, to match his hair. He looked up again and saw Hazel, his lip curling slightly. He no doubt knew who she was. Gossip travels fast. “And who might this be?”

“Madam Levesque,” Hazel said with as much dignity as she could muster, just as Nico had prompted her. She would not allow anyone to look down on her, just for being the daughter of a mistress. The butler looked surprised by her tone, but sank into a bow when Nico gave him a fierce look. There were very few that would go against the will of the Earl Di Angelo. Few that were still alive, that is.

“Right this way.” he said, gesturing at the path. Nico paid the carriage driver and followed Hazel into the house.

He immediately knew he would regret ever coming here. People were everywhere. They were talking, dancing, laughing. It was absolutely nightmarish.

Heads turned their way when they entered, and a few shocked gasps were audible in the crowd. Nico arriving alone would spark gossip, but him arriving with the daughter of his father’s mistress would spread like wildfire. He half expected them to run up and start questioning him. They very well might have, if Lord Jason Grace hadn’t luckily chose that moment to spot them.

“Why, Earl Di Angelo, this is a surprise. And you must be Madam Levesque.” he said, inclining his head. Amusement crinkled at the corners of his eyes, but he also looked genuinely happy to see Nico. “I’m glad to have you here.”

“Lord Grace.” Nico said back, nodding. “Haven’t been stupidly getting in anymore dangerous situations, have you? I’ve already saved your miserable life one time too many.”

Jason chuckled to himself, remembering the circumstances they had met under.

“Good to see you again too,” he said, and waved someone over. A taller girl that looked to be of Indian origin came and stood next to him. “May I present my fiancee, Madam McLean?”

McLean. That was the name of a famous actor, well known for his Shakespeare plays. So this girl must be his daughter. Her skin was darker than most, and Nico was surprised such a marriage had been allowed in high society. Then again, both her father and Jason had the wealth and power to do as they pleased, societal rules be damned. Nico decided he liked Jason a little better.

“A pleasure to meet you, Madam McLean. My name is Hazel Levesque.” Hazel said, curtsying. Nico was impressed. She’d lived in high society for a very short while, yet already knew the customs better than he did.

“Perhaps you could show her around?” Jason suggested. Madam McLean smiled brightly at Hazel, and held out an arm to her.

“I’d be delighted to! Call me Piper,” she said to Hazel, and the two walked off together. Hazel only turned around once to shoot Nico a glare that he could only interpret at socialize!

“How have you been doing?” Jason asked Nico once they were out of earshot, his voice grave and all traces of mirth gone from his face. Nico made a noncommittal noise in his throat.

“Fine, I suppose.” he replied, his eyes sweeping the crowd. They were clearly trying to not look at him, but failing miserably.

“What do you mean by fine?” Jason asked him. Nico sighed, unsure of how to reply. He hadn’t known Jason long, but knew he could get very overprotective at times.

He was spared of answering when he saw a certain blonde elbowing his way through the crowd, spilling drinks and trodding on shoes. Nico gaped, unsure of whether this was real. He wasn’t expecting to see him here, of all people. The bullet wound began aching again.

Will Solace bent over with his hands on his knees, panting. He looked up and his eyes met Nico’s.

“I heard you were here, but I could scarcely believe it until now!” Will exclaimed, still slightly out of breath. “You look different without the mask.”

All Nico could do was gape. The boy that haunted his thoughts since that one night was right in front of him. He didn’t know whether to thank the heavens or leave as fast as he could

“Is that so?” Nico managed to choke out, unsure of what else to say. He had only ever seen Will in his nightclothes before. Seeing him in the vest and long coat that were popular among younger men made his heart skip a beat, and he was fairly sure that blood was heating his usually pale cheeks. He tried to will it away from the surface. He wasn’t that kind of person anymore. No, he never had been.

Or did he prefer Will in his nightclothes? 

The thought rose uncalled for to the surface of his mind, and he forcibly pushed it back down. Will nodded, looking much less affected by the tension that seemed to have built up around them.

“Don’t worry, you look better like this.” he said jokingly, before a more somber look came over his face. He reached out a hand hesitantly. “How’s your arm?”

“Perhaps you should take this elsewhere?” Jason suggested, who had been watching everything with bewildered, wide eyes. Nico looked around and realized no one was even attempting to conceal their interest anymore. It had been too long since the latest scandal, and they were just dying for another one. A Solace getting mixed up with the Earl Di Angelo could keep them entertained for days.

“Good idea,” Nico muttered, walking purposefully towards a side door. He could tell from the sound of awkward, jogging footsteps that Will was following him. Behind him, the partygoers broke out in excited chattering.

Nico mentally groaned. This was the last time he took Hazel’s advice. She’d wanted him to make a friend, but all he would end up doing is hurting one.


	3. King Of Diamonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nico realizes that his half-sister dragging him to parties with her might not be such a bad thing

Once they were outside and out of the way of prying eyes and gossiping mouths Nico grabbed Will’s wrist and pulled him around the corner, roughly pushing him up against the stone wall.  He tried to ignore the way Will winced slightly, and felt his stomach swoop.  He hadn’t meant to hurt him.  Why was it so much easier to deal with criminals than friends?  That is, if Will even considered him a friend.  Nico knew it was best if he didn’t, but a tiny, selfish part of him yearned for it to be so.

 

“What the Hell were you doing?” Nico asked, worry tightening his features.

 

Will looked puzzled, unsure of what he had done wrong.

 

“What do you mean?” Will asked, the wrinkle on his forehead distracting Nico more that he would have liked.  He ran the criminal underworld, damn it, he wasn’t about to get thrown off by a stupidly adorable facial expression.  “I just wanted to see you again.”

 

_Curse this boy and his ability to make Nico’s stomach lurch.  It was almost like skeletal butterflies were going bonkers in there._

 

Nico scowled, and he felt like his old self again.  He hadn’t realized how much he’d been smiling lately.  

 

“Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to associate with me?  I run the criminal underworld!  My life is a ticking time bomb, and if you hang around me, yours will be too!” Nico looked away, choosing to focus on a gray brick a few feet to the left of Will’s head.  “I don’t want to see you hurt.”

 

Nico doubted anyone knew what it took to admit that.  Will was one of the first people to show him any kindness in the years since Bianca had died, and he had become obsessed with revenge.  It was only natural he’d want him safe.  He heard the other boy’s quick intake of breath, and became uncomfortably aware of their close proximity.  While talking, Nico had stepped forward, and Will had been prevented from stepping back by the wall.  Color flooded his cheeks, turning him what must have been an unattractive shade of red.  

 

Nico stepped back hurriedly, trying not to look at Will but being unable to focus on anything else.

 

“Why?” Will burst out, bright blue eyes meeting empty ones.  Nico dropped his gaze, choosing instead to stare at the dying grass brushing the tips of his boots.  “Why can’t I help you?”

 

Nico gave a half smile, like his facial muscles weren’t used to making such an expression of joy.  They weren’t.

 

“What do you mean?  You’ve already saved my life once.”

 

Will gazed at him fiercely, and Nico resisted the urge to step back.   ~~Or kiss him~~.

 

“Exactly!  So I feel like I’ve earned the right to get to know you better!”

 

Nico sighed, massaging his temples.  This boy could sure give him a headache.   ~~And a stomach full of butterflies~~.

 

“Fine.  What do you want to know about me?” he asked finally.  It was best to give him what he wanted, and then he’d leave.  The idea was like a boot to the gut, but it was best this way.  This way, Will wouldn’t get ~~his throat cut like Bianca~~ hurt.

 

“No, no.  Not like this.  We need to meet up somewhere, and then we can learn more about each other.” Will insisted, looking sure of himself.  Although years of practice hunting criminals had made Nico very observant.  He didn’t miss the slight pink flush on Will’s cheeks.  Could he be… like him?  No.  That was the thing about being a freak.  You couldn’t expect anyone else to be like you.

 

“You can come to my manor or something,” Nico muttered, shrugging.  He hoped his face wasn’t as red as it felt.  He had always hated that whenever he was flustered, his face burned crimson.

 

Will looked happy at the idea of that, before a slight frown overtook his features.

 

“Honestly, Di Angelo, have you never invited someone anywhere before?  You’ve got to say something like William Solace, you are cordially invited to attend tea at the Di Angelo manor next Friday at four.  Please send your written acceptance within one week.” Will pointed out, mirth sparkling in his eyes.  “Come on, you try!”

 

Nico groaned, and Will burst out laughing.  Nico decided he liked the way Will laughed.  His eyes got all squinty and his lips twisted into a happy smile.   ~~Not to mention his laughter sounded like wind chimes~~.

 

“You just invited yourself, idiota.” Nico grumbled.  “And please don’t bother with the written acceptance.”

 

Will brightened, a hopeful smile on his face.  

 

“So I can come?”

 

Nico flushed slightly and stared intently at his boots.

 

“Under one condition.  I have to attend to some… business matters, but I don’t want Hazel to have to leave too when she’s just beginning to make friends.  Can you introduce her to some people, and show her around?  Keep her out of trouble,” he said, his voice back to normal.  He was used to lying.  Lying was one thing he was good at.

 

“Yes, sir!” Will said cheerfully.  Nico allowed his lips to turn up slightly in what was definitely not a slight smile.

 

“See you soon, idiota.”

 

* * *

 

 

Will was beginning to understand why Nico had claimed to have business to attend to.

 

Ladies covered their lipsticked mouths with delicate hands when he walked by, whispering furiously to their friends.  Gentlemen muttered, shaking their heads and conversing quietly with those around him.  Hazel, who was walking beside him, did her best to ignore their words.  Nico Di Angelo showing up to a party would be unheard of.  Nico Di Angelo showing up with his half sister, the daughter of a mistress, was unthinkable.  Will even caught his name once or twice in the conversations.  Come to think of it, it wasn’t surprising.  As far as anyone else knew, Nico knew no one in high society.

 

Piper had stayed with Hazel, cheerfully introducing her to people.  Will normally would have done so, but was a bit distracted.  A certain Italian’s last words were ringing in his mind, and he couldn’t stop his heart beating a little faster.  Everything reminded him of Nico, from the red wine that looked so much like his blood had, to the lady with the same dark hair and high cheekbones.

 

Piper was introducing Hazel to a lovely blonde girl Will recognized as Annabeth Chase, daughter of one of the most powerful and intelligent women in all of England.  Her brother, Malcolm, came up and introduced himself too.  Hazel looked over and gestured for Will to come over.  He hesitated momentarily, before joining Hazel.  It wouldn’t do any good to dwell on him forever.

 

“Will!” Annabeth said cheerily.  “It’s been a while.”

 

Will inclined his head to her.  “It has, Lady Chase.”

 

Annabeth gave him a beaming smile.

 

“You don’t have to be so formal around me, call me Annabeth!  And anyway, it’s going to be Lady Jackson soon.”  She held up a hand and Will saw a simple yet beautiful engagement ring.  It was only a silver band with an ocean blue gem on it, but Will could tell from how carefully it had been polished that Annabeth treasured it above any fancy ring.

 

Hazel let out a small gasp.  “Congratulations!  I met Per- sorry, Lord Jackson last year when he visited America.  When I heard he lived in London, I hoped I could see him again.”

 

“That’s wonderful, Annabeth!” Will added in.  He was truly happy for his friend.  She would get to marry the man she loved, which was more than most people could say.   ~~Which was more than he’d ever be able to say~~.

 

Annabeth accepted their congratulations with a gracious nod.  

 

“Thank you.  Hazel, you’re more than welcome to come visit anytime you like.  Will, the same is true for you.”  

 

She leaned forward slightly and muttered just under her breath.

 

“And I want all the details of what’s going on between you and Nico.”

 

She smiled and inclined her head to the other two, before turning around and crossing the room, likely in search of her fiance.  Piper and Hazel gave him curious looks, which he ignored.  He knew she only meant that she was curious as to how they had met, but with the way she had worded it, he couldn’t stop his heart from speeding up slightly from worry.  She couldn’t know what he was.  No one could ever know.  Hazel opened her mouth, but she was, thank God, interrupted by the arrival of his little brother.

 

“Austin?” he asked.  His brother nodded at both women and turned to Will.

 

“Father says our carriage is about to leave, and sent me to find you.”

 

Will checked his pocket watch and tried to keep from cursing.  He was supposed to have met his family on the hour, and it was about quarter past.  

 

“It was nice to see you again, Piper, and I’m glad to have met you, Hazel.  Give your brother my regards.”  

 

Hazel’s eyes brightened, and she looked hopeful.

 

“Perhaps you’ll come see him?” she hinted without a trace of subtlety.

 

“I believe I will, whether he wants me to or not.  You can tell him I said that.” Will replied to her.  She laughed and assured him she would, and Will wound his way around partygoers and attempted not to step on anyone’s toes.

 

“Since when do you know the Earl Di Angelo?” Austin asked curiously once they were out of earshot, both fear and awe in his voice.  Will made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat.

 

“Oh, you know.  I’ve seen him around.”

 

Austin looked disbelieving.  Will couldn’t blame him.

 

“The only place you would have met him in in dark alleyways and abandoned buildings.  He is the Earl Di Angelo, you know  Have you been sneaking out at night?”

 

“I know he is.  And no, I haven’t,” Will replied cheerfully.  Austin looked confused, before sighing in annoyance.

 

“Fine.  Don’t tell me.  I just hope you have a better reason prepared for when Father questions you about it.”

  
“Right.” Will said, wondering what he would say.  For the moment, he didn’t care.  All he could think about was a small, black-haired Italian Earl.


	4. Two of Diamonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the late chapter! Now that I've got the story planned out I hope to update on a more regular basis. Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews and feedback I've been getting! I really appreciate them. Seriously, I squeal embarrassingly loudly every time I see a comment. I hope you enjoy this chapter :D

The days leading up to that Friday, the day he would have tea with the Earl Di Angelo, were hell.  Will would never admit to leaving his window unlocked, just in case.  He continued to dodge Austin’s questions about Nico, and his father seemed to have more important things on his mind than one of his son’s fraternizing with a Di Angelo.  Will couldn’t get the quiet voice with the faintest trace of an accent out of his mind.  He couldn’t close his eyes without envisioning a pale face surrounded by dark, shaggy hair.

 

It was driving him insane.  Luckily, he didn’t have to wait until Friday to see Nico again.  Although when he saw him, he wished desperately that he had been forced to wait.

 

It had been such an ordinary day.  Will had started attending a prestigious school for wealthy boys, where he could study medicine under some of the greatest scientists.  It was too far to travel to and from every day, so he planned to move into one of their dormitories and take advantage of the boarding school program they offered by the end of the fortnight. For now, he was travelling to and from by carriage and was only beginning to pack up what he thought would be necessary there.  It had been a long and stressful day, as they had started to dissect actual human bodies.  Will knew it was necessary to understand human anatomy, but had been slightly disturbed by the graying skin and oddly colored lips.  So Will was anxious to fall asleep and start the next day refreshed and renewed.

 

That was, until he heard a tap at the window.

 

Not bothering to change out of his nightclothes, Will threw the sheets off of himself and practically ripped the curtains aside, throwing open the window.  

 

A black shape crouched on the stone window sill, and tumbled in clumsily when the window was open.

 

“Sorry!” Will whispered, then frowned. It was unlike Nico to be without grace like that, without even trying to break his fall.  

 

“Nico?” Will asked hesitantly, kneeling beside the boy.  Like usual, he was dressed all in black, almost like he was disappearing into the shadows. With more urgency, he hissed, "Nico!”

 

Will pushed him over to his side and felt a wave of relief go over him when he realized the boy’s chest was steadily rising and falling.  The relief ebbed away and was replaced by an almost sickened feeling as he realized Nico’s eyes were closed, almost as in sleep.    Will hurriedly reached for his wrist and noticed his pulse was slightly erratic, but it was there.  

 

_Drip._

 

Dull horror consumed him, and he turned his eyes to the source

 

_Drip,_

 

_Drip._

 

_Drop._

 

Will had left a book on plants with medicinal properties on his carpet when he decided to retire for the night, and Nico appeared to have fallen on part of it.  The cover was new and smooth.  It had a small puddle of crimson blood on it, which had dripped from Nico’s side.  Will watched a small bloodied knife Nico had clutched tightly in his fist fall out of his grip and fall to the floor with a dull thud.  His eyes were closed, almost as if in sleep.  For once, he didn’t look alert, like he expected to be attacked any moment.  He looked peaceful.  Almost… angelic.

 

With growing terror, Will pushed Nico’s shirt up and was greeted by an opening in the smooth skin.  Healthy red blood dripped from it steadily.  He could see what looked to be an important organ peeking out.

 

Will took a deep breath and forced himself to evaluate the situation.  Blood was dripping, rather than spurting, meaning the knife hadn’t hit a major artery.  Nico dying of blood loss was less of a threat.

 

Dying.  Will had no idea five little letters could install such terror in him.

 

Will opened Nico’s mouth and tilted his head back slightly so his airway would be unobstructed.  His movements were both mechanical and frantic.  Stab wounds hadn’t been properly covered yet at his school, so he would do the best he could.

 

He could only hope that was enough.

 

Talking to your patients was supposed to help them calm down, but Will decided he had better not risk waking Nico.  He looked desperately around his room for a washcloth or handkerchief or anything he could apply pressure with it.  Not finding anything, he pulled his nightshirt off of him without a second thought and put it on the wound, pushing slightly.

 

A quiet moan came from the boy.  Will placed a hand on his forehead and bit his lip.  His skin was cold and sweaty.  He didn’t know if the cold was from shock or blood loss, but it was terrifying either way.

 

“Shhh,” Will urged him.  “It’s going to be alright.  I’ve almost stopped the bleeding.  You were extremely lucky.  It looks like the knife didn’t puncture any internal organs, only nicked them, if that.  I’m not going to let you d- let anything bad happen.  You still owe me tea this Friday.  Remember, Nico?  How do you like tea?  I usually put a little honey in it so it’s sweet.  Lemon tea is my favorite.  Have you ever tasted tea with lemons in it?  My dad imported it from America.  It actually wasn’t that awful tasting.  Maybe I’ll give you some sometime.”

 

Will kept talking, talking about anything and everything.  Nico responded in the occasional weak, fragile little moans, which always made Will bite his lip.  He wasn’t sure how long they’d been like this, Will talking and Nico just lying there.  The bleeding had mostly stopped, so Will was only applying pressure with one hand now.  With the other, he held Nico’s hand in his own.  He needed reassurance Nico was still there.  

 

A quick knock at the door made Will’s head shoot up and stop his monologue.  His heart rate was speeding and he was pretty sure he was squeezing Nico’s hand.  How would he explain this?  The hinges squeaked as the door was slowly opened, and a hesitant looking Austin poked his head around it.  His eyes widened at the scene before him.  A bloodsoaked earl being tended to a half naked lord in the middle of the night would be an interesting sight.  

 

“Austin?  What are you doing?” Will asked, just as Nico moaned again.  Will stroked his hair out of his face.  Austin looked shell shocked, with almost comically wide eyes.

 

“Is that who I think it is?” Austin asked, wide-eyed.  Will bit his lip.

 

“Most likely.” Will admitted.  “He was stabbed, Austin!”

 

Austin grabbed a blanket off the bed and handed to Will.  

 

“You need to keep him warm!” he reminded Will.  Will nodded, mentally cursing himself for forgetting.  With Austin’s help, he managed to get the boy wrapped in it as tightly as they dared.  Will noticed Austin was shaking slightly, and felt guilty for dragging him into all of this.  

 

“He’s going to be fine.” Austin assured Will, and Will bit his lip.  He could only hope that was true.  He hadn’t even had a chance to dress the wound yet, but had been too afraid to leave Nico’s side.  “How did he get here?”

 

“The window,” Will answered honestly.  “He climbed up the vines with a knife in one hand and blood coming out of his abdomen and managed to balance on the windowsill long enough for me to let him in.”

 

Austin blinked.

 

“That’s amazing.” Austin said, awe clear in his voice.  “Why here, though?”

 

Will mumbled that he didn’t know, not wanting to have to share a complicated story.  Austin looked for a moment like he was going to continue asking questions, but decided against it.

 

“What are you going to do with him?” Austin asked finally, breaking the silence that come up between them. Will hesitated.

 

“Father’s going to give that lecture at the medical college tomorrow, right?  We could use the carriage to take him home.” Will suggested finally.  It wasn’t like he could hide Nico in his room forever.  Austin nodded.

 

“I’ll go get clean bandages and things to clean his wound with.” Austin told him.  Will nodded, not wanting to leave Nico.  Austin would have better luck creeping through the hallway than he would.  He was known for being somewhat clumsy.

 

Nico’s moaned again, and Will anxiously reached for his pulse.  It had become a bit of a habit.  His pulse was proof that blood, that life, was still being pumped through his veins.

 

* * *

  


Nico could hear a voice talking to him.  It was warm, soothing.  He tried to focus on the words, but could barely make them out.  The voice up and down, loud and then soft and then loud again.  Was it talking about lemon tea of all things?  Nico tried to reply, but dreamless sleep claimed him again.

 

Nico drifted in and out of consciousness, never being able to focus on the voice that never ceased.  Even if he couldn’t understand what it was saying, it was strangely comforting.  

 

His head was killing him and his stomach was aching for some reason, and returning to the sleeping oblivion seemed like the most comfortable option right now.  Nico had never made his comfort a priority, though.  He could feel his body slowly waking up, and managed to force his eyes open.  He blinked and the world began to come into focus, so he could see a certain boy with golden hair looking down at him with worry.

 

A certain shirtless golden haired boy.

 

“Where did your shirt go?” he rasped, his throat dry.  Will turned a little pink.  “No, what happened?”

 

“I don’t know,” Will said with a sigh.  “You showed up here with a stab wound in your stomach, so I’ve been treating you.”

 

Nico took a moment to process that information before the memories hit him.

 

“I was so close!” he said angrily, before groaning and scowling.  “I was so close, damn it!”

 

Will frowned.  Nico was usually more distant, didn’t like to let his emotions show.

 

“So close to what?”

 

Nico’s face was livid, and Will knew he was angry at himself.

 

“To Bianca’s killer.  I’d finally found one of his henchmen, and he knew where Talos was, I know he did!  I was ready to make him talk, to finally hear what I’ve been searching for for years!  But it turns out he was armed after all,” Nico finished bitterly.  His hands tightened into fists.  “Damn it, damn it, damn it!”

 

Will reached out hesitantly and placed a hand on Nico’s arm.  To his surprise, the other boy didn’t pull away.

 

“Who’s Talos?” he asked him.  “You know, it’s alright to confide in a friend once in awhile.”

 

Nico bit his lip.  The sleepiness was going away and the pain in his stomach was getting sharper.  He suspected the shock would wear off soon and he would get to feel the pain in all its glory.  Nico wasn’t someone that opened up to people, so maybe it was the pain, or maybe the fatigue, but something convinced Nico to tell Will his story.  The whole story.

 

The familiar squeak of hinges as the door opened caught both of their attention, and Nico saw a mini Will step inside the room and close the door behind him.

 

“Oh good, you’re awake!  I’m Austin.” he said cheerfully, as if dangerous earls with stab wounds climbed in his older brother’s window on a regular basis. He held out a few items to Will. “I brought bandages and a salve.  I also stole some morphine from Father’s supplies.”

 

“What if he notices?” Will asked worriedly.  Austin shrugged offhandedly.  

 

“Would you rather he woke up the house with his screaming when the pain comes?” Austin reminded him.  Nico tried to look down at his wound, to see how bad it was,  but Will covered his eyes.

 

“Not until I’ve dressed it.  Alright, I’ll clean and dress it, and Austin will give you some morphine.  It takes a little while for it to help, so until then, you’re just going to have to bite your lip and deal with it.” Will told him as gently as he could.  At some point, he had taken Nico’s hand to check his pulse again but then had moved downwards to squeeze his hand, just briefly.  Nico’s dark eyes flickered to their joint hands but didn’t pull away.  Doctors did that.  They did whatever they could to calm you down.

 

He tried not to let the minor issue of both him and Will being basically shirtless bother him, since he was just stabbed and all, but couldn’t help blushing profusely.  He was dearly glad Will was so focused on his work so he wouldn’t see the blood in his cheeks.  He wasn’t about to chase his only friend away with his sinful ways.  If Austin noticed, he kept his mouth shut.  

 

The morphine made him dizzy and weak, and he found himself slipping into unconsciousness again.  The last thing he remembered was Will and Austin lifting him onto Will’s bed, trying to be extra careful of the wound.

 

His last clear thought was, “But where will Will sleep?”

 

 


	5. Ace of Hearts

It hurt.

 

There was a dulling throbbing in Nico’s middle, and he was tempted to slip back into a sleep induced oblivion, since that was the only clear idea his delirious brain had.

 

Until it all hit him.

 

Bile rose up in his throat and he forced himself to swallow it back down.  He had been so damn close.  He tried to raise himself off the bed but found he didn’t have the strength, and settled back into the pillow with a groan.  

 

And became very aware that this was not his own bed.

 

“Hmm?” a blonde boy mumbled sleepily from where he was curled up on the floor.  He lifted his head slowly and peered blearily at Nico for a moment for pushing himself and wiping the sleep from his eyes.

 

“You’re awake!” he cried happily.  “Oh, thank God.”

 

Nico didn’t bother with a greeting.

 

“What the Hell happened?” he demanded.  “Why am I here?”

 

The smile seemed frozen on Will’s face.  It seemed to mostly come from relief.  Nico shifted uncomfortably, wondering what he was so relieved about.

 

“That’s what I’d like to know.  We need to stop meeting like this.”

 

Nico wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion.

 

“What the Hell are you talking about?”

 

“You showed up into the morning hours with a stab wound in your abdomen, collapse on my carpet, and only wake up for a few minutes.  I was terrified you wouldn’t make it through the night. Augh, I must have accidentally fallen asleep.  But you did.  You’re safe.  Oh, thank God.  Now how the Hell did you get stabbed?” Will finished, the concern obvious in his voice.  Nico bit his lip and stared down.

 

“I was working,” he said evasively.  “That’s all.”

 

Will scowled at him.  Scowling was enough to make even the most handsome person look unpleasant, but only served to emphasize Will’s angelic looks.  Nico mentally cursed at Will.  That part of him was dead and buried, where it belonged, and no irritatingly attractive boy was bringing it back.  The little acceptance he had of himself had died with Bianca, and he intended to keep it that way.

 

“I think you owe me the truth.  I’ve saved your life twice.” Will said.  Oh my God, was he _ pouting _ ?  He looked like an overgrown puppy.

 

“You shouldn’t have bothered,” Nico mumbled back, experimentally putting his hands behind his shoulders to see if he could push himself into a sitting position that way.  Pain flashed through his middle.  He settled back on the bed with a groan, feeling vulnerable.  He was safe, though, Nico reminded himself.  He was with Will.

 

Will frowned almost disapprovingly.

 

“That’s no way to talk!  You’re my friend, I’m always going to be here for you,” he said, an earnest look in his eyes.  Nico was once again reminded of an overeager puppy.  Although Will’s looks resembled more that of a cat stretched out in the sunlight.

 

He quickly banished the thought of a naked Will stretched out in the sunlight.

 

“We’re friends, then?” he mumbled, glancing away and fighting the blush that threatened to appear on his ghostly pale cheeks.  Damn it, why did he blush so easily?

 

“Of course we are, but don’t avoid the question!  How did you get stabbed?”

 

Nico sighed and bit his lip.  If there was anyone he’d talk about  _ it _ to, it would be Hazel.  Maybe it was the morphine, maybe it was whirling thoughts and emotions, but he decided it couldn’t hurt to tell Will part of the truth.  And if he never wanted to speak to Nico again, well, he was never the friend he pretended to be.

 

“I have a sister.  Well, had.  Her name was Bianca.  She was the light of my life,” he began hesitantly.  Will nodded for him to go on.  “She took over the Di Angelo business.  For a few years, she was the most feared person in the underworld.  If people call me the crime lord, then she was the crime queen.  She was the smartest, strongest, and kindest person I’ve ever met.  Ever since my parents died, I only ever talked to her and some of her friends.  I loved her more than anyone.”

 

He let out an embarrassing sniffle and quickly swiped at his eyes.  Will hesitantly placed a hand on his knee, rubbing his thumb in soothing circles. Nico quickly averted his gaze.  Both boys could feel the sudden tension surrounding them.

 

“But there was one day when Bianca didn’t come home when she said she would.  I was with her friend Thalia at the time.  She was teaching me, a ten year old child, how to load a pistol.  I could tell she was getting worried, but she insisted I go to sleep and that Bianca would be here in the morning.  Thalia wasn’t wrong, I suppose.  Only the next I saw her she was lying dead in Thalia’s arms.  Thalia had gone to find her and provide backup, but she was too late.  That bastard had unloaded a whole damn round into her chest.”

 

His voice shook and faded away slightly, anger and hurt clear in his voice.  Will could hear years of pain and an undying thirst for vengeance echoing in the last sentence.  When he tried to speak, his voice came out in a whisper.

 

“Who was it?”

 

“There used to be a very famous criminal named Talos.  He was wanted for a number of small things, but was most well known for his horrific human trafficking crimes,” Nico let out a small, bitter laugh.  “He’s not so famous anymore.  The psychopath knows I’m tracking his every move and will kill him without hesitation when I can.  He’s learned to keep his head down.  I don’t what made Bianca go after him.  All I know is what became of it.”

 

The tears finally came, streaming down his cheeks and making his eyes burn.  Nico buried his face in his shirt only to wince in pain.  Memories he had worked so hard to forget, to bury, jumped to the surface of his mind.  This is why he kept to himself.  This is why he grieved alone.  He didn’t want to relive it.

 

Except he wasn’t alone this time.  Will was sitting next to him, smoothing his hair out of his face and making soothing noises.  Nico bit his lip in an effort to stop his tears, because it also  _ hurt _ him to cry.  His wound’s muted throbbing became more persistent, and he could feel another wave of tears take over him.   _ God damn it. _

 

He felt a feather light touch on his forehead.  Will was looking down at him with his beautiful blue eyes wide in concern, gently pushing his hair out of his face.  They locked eyes for a few moments, both holding their breath slightly.  Tears still leaked from his eyes, but he no longer felt hysterical.  He noticed Will closing his eyes and suddenly the other boy’s forehead was resting on his and all he could feel was weight of it.  Smooth suntanned skin touched pale sweat-soaked skin, causing his heart to skip a beat and a beautiful, calming warmth to spread through him.  Both stayed motionless for just those few seconds, those seconds he would hold onto it and remember in the dark of night when nothing felt right.  And then the weight was gone and it was back to the light touches, a thumb brushing the tears off his face and lightly caressing his cheekbone.  Nico took a quick breath and looked away, feeling the heat rise to the surface of his cheeks.

 

He couldn’t help but feel that this wasn’t typical doctor behavior.

 

Will hesitated, as if he was about to say something.  Nico looked up curiously, meeting those deep blue eyes again.  Before Will could even open his mouth, the door opened.  Will sat up quickly and looked around, his eyes wide.  His shoulders visibly relaxed when he saw Austin.

 

“Hey, uh, Father just left.  You can borrow the carriage now.”

  
  


It was with a quick goodbye and a promise to visit from Will that Nico found himself travelling across bumpy cobblestone road in the Solace family’s old carriage.  Will had assured Nico that the aging thing was only gathering dust, but he couldn’t help feeling apprehensive.  What if Will was caught?  Nico wasn’t worth that.

 

The carriage came to a stop and Nico winced in pain.  He still couldn’t sit up and had opted to lie across the seats instead like an invalid.  Which, he supposed, he was.  His finely tuned hearing abilities made it easy for him to detect the sound of feet pounding on cobblestone.  Nico bit his lip.  It was bad enough Will had to see him at his weakest, and now Hazel too?

 

The door was thrown up and Nico heard the driver’s indignant exclamation.  He wondered vaguely how much Will had paid him to keep quiet about this job.

 

His train of thought was stopped when he saw Hazel glowering down at him, hands on her hips.

 

“Nico Di Angelo, do I need to tell you how worried I was?  I thought- Oh dear Lord, are you injured?” she finished, her voice sounding near frantic.  

 

“Good morning to you too, Hazel,” Nico muttered, wanting nothing more than to just get inside and sleep.

 

“What happened?” she asked, panic and worry clear in her voice.  Nico winced.

 

“I have something I need to tell you.”

  
  


“So help me understand here,” Hazel said, leaning forward in her chair to look at him.  Nico gave her a weak half smile from his bed.  “You don’t work for the police like you said.  You have an unspoken agreement with the police.  You help them track down criminals and solve cases, and in return they turn a blind eye to your dealings with the underworld.  You’re what everyone calls a “crime lord”, meaning you have control over just about the entire crime underworld.  You took over for Bianca, who took over for your father.  The Di Angelo name is one of the most feared and respected in the country’s shadows.  And you just now decide to tell me.”

 

“Sounds right,” he muttered, not able to meet Hazel’s eye.  “I didn’t want you to be worried about me.  Or, well, hate or be scared of me.” 

 

The confession stuck oddly on his tongue and seemed to echo in the room.  With a jolt, Nico realized he had just been much more honest about his feelings than he had in years.

 

Hazel sniffled slightly and reached out a hand towards him.

 

“You stupid boy,” she said fondly.  “I’ll always accept you, no matter what.”

 

Nico hesitantly places his hand in hers.

 

“I know,” he whispers back to her, not believing the words.  Why should he?  He was unlovable.  If Hazel ever find out the truth, she’d be disgusted by him.

 

Some truths are better left unspoken. Especially when Nico knows they’re just the delusions of a confused  boy  man.  They couldn’t be true.

  
  


She had been patient and loving, spoon feeding him soup and cooling his forehead.  Nico felt guilty for being the cause of another worried wrinkle on her forehead.  She was too young for so many.  She had brought them both cups of tea when Nico began regretting not faking sleep all day.

 

Nico had always admired Hazel’s motivation when it came to things she cared about.  And unfortunately, she cared about him.

 

Hazel had taken sip of tea before giving him a scrutinizing glare.  He shivered.  He didn’t know what was coming, but had a feeling he wouldn’t like it.  

 

“Are you betrothed to anyone?” She asked suddenly.  Nico choked on his tea.

 

“Betrothed?” He got out between coughs.  “Of course not.  Why?  Why would I want to be?”

 

Hazel sighed and fiddled with her fork.

 

“You’d have ladies falling over each other to be you bride, with your looks and wealth.” She began.

 

“Not my charming personality?” Nico deadpanned, cutting in.  Hazel gave him a flat look.

 

“So why do you never spare them a second glance?  So many people would love to be in your situation.  Don’t you want someone to wake up next to every day?  To go to parties with?  To laugh, and smile, and share a home with?”

 

Nico let out a short bitter life.

 

“That’s how a peasant views marriage.  Among nobles and the wealthy, marriage is about two things.  It’s about status and money.  Happiness and love are the ideas of commoners, and you’ll a laughingstock for saying such things.”

 

Hazel sighed.

 

“So be it, I suppose.  How sad, that nobles own so much money yet deny themselves true delights like love.  Don’t you want to fall in love one day?”

 

_ Yes, _ Nico thought.   _ I want that, and everything you mentioned earlier.  But I can’t.  Not with someone I could truly share it with. _

 

“I’m not all that bothered about it, honestly.  There are more important things to do than to find a wife.  Why did you bring it up?  Are you interested in someone?”

 

Hazel flushed a deep crimson.

 

“No, don’t be stupid!  I just thought it would be nice for you to get engaged, that’s all.”

 

“Are you sure?” Nico teased gently, enjoying the way Hazel was fidgeting.  Interesting.

 

“Yes, now stop trying to change the subject!   Just keep an eye out for a young lady that might interest you, alright?  Look for a bride.  You won’t regret it.”

 

Nico bit his lip and looked down at the teacup he held tightly in his hands.

  
“Fine,” he agreed, trying to keep the insincerity out of his tone.


	6. Ace of Spades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which two connected lives touch a little more

Hazel managed to keep him in bed resting for three more weeks before the view of glossy ceiling tile became too unbearable.  After loudly announcing that staying in bed would make him sicker, not better, he started moving around the manor once again.  The lack of correspondence from Will hurt Nico a little, but he didn’t have time to send a letter of his own before he found himself crouched behind boxes in a dingy alleyway with a raven-haired girl offering him a small, loaded pistol.

 

“Here, take this.  We should be able to intercept him as walks home along the wharf,” the girl, Thalia, said grimly, electric blue eyes flashing dangerously.  She was on a hunt.  Nico had grown up with her as near constant presence, always by Bianca’s side, but had never seen her as focused as she was now.  Except, of course, for that one terrible night.

 

Nico sighed.

 

“Remind me why I agreed to do this again?  He’s just some money-grubbing bastard that sells illegal drugs to his students, right?  Couldn’t you have just reported him to the police?” He asked her.  Thalia had shown up at his manor at lunchtime to announce she needed his help apprehending a medical school professor selling illegal drugs.  She had almost literally dragged him kicking and spluttering with him, ignoring his protests and Hazel’s confusion.  He still wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing.

 

Thalia shook her head, causing her short raven hair to bounce and sway. She wore her hair unlike any noble young lady, in a messy close cropped cut.  This with her more androgynous features had allowed her to masquerade as a man on many missions, making her a master at the art of deception.  Nico may live in shadows, but he was a sun among them.  His face and reputation were known by the entire underworld.  Thalia acted as darkness to his light, performing the dirty work quietly and anonymously.  His fame allowed her to hide, to decept.  Working together, they had realized years ago, made them near invincible.

 

Although Nico knew he would never be as good a sun for her as Bianca had been.

 

“Every day at half seven, he leaves the school and walks along the wharf,” Thalia muttered, snapping him out of his thoughts.  “I want you to walk up to him and ask him to follow you.  There’s no doubt he’ll recognize you, and will hopefully be too intimidated to refuse.  I gave you that pistol just in case he does, though.  Threaten him.  I’ll be waiting in the alleyway we agreed to meet him.  Take him there and I’ll knock him unconscious with a toxin Phoebe cooked up.  After that, well, you can leave him to me.  I’ll take him to Artemis.”

 

Nico nodded.  He was perfectly happy to not have to interact with Thalia’s street gang.  They scared him.

 

“So I’m the bait then,” he summarized.  Thalia smiled brightly.

 

“Exactly!  You play the most important role!”

 

Nico sighed.

 

“Glad I could be of assistance.”

 

He looked at the medical school their target worked at.  It was a fine building that reeked of wealth and nobility.  Pretentious looking statues lined the gardens.  It was the sort of school he imagined Will going to.

 

No, time to stop that train of thought.  This was a mission, he couldn’t be distracted.

 

“You never answered my question,” he realized, addressing Thalia.  “Why are we doing this, rather than the police?”

 

She scowled and gripped her gun a little tighter.

 

“He’s been taking young prostitutes home, and they’re never seen again.  Artemis was worried that he was keeping them trapped there, the sick bastard.  Elizabeth volunteered to pose as a prostitute to scope out the situation, and we found her lying in a dark alleyway where we were supposed to meet.  She hasn’t regained consciousness yet, but we think she escaped.  And some markings, measurements, on her body indicate that he isn’t just trying to feel a sense of power by imprisoning helpless teenagers.  It looks more like, well,” Thala glanced at him, biting her lip slightly. “Human trafficking.”

 

NIco felt like he had just been punched in the chest.

 

“Oh,” he muttered, not sure what to say.  “So that’s why you invited me.”

 

Thalia nodded, quickly loading her own pistol with a sort of grace and skill Nico knew he could never imitate.

 

“I figured you might be interested in this.  He’s of medium build, brown hair, and has a large black briefcase.  Keep watching the wharf, we should see him soon.” She said, biting her lip as she stared intently at the street.  She seemed tenser than normal, and her eyes flashed with a sort of thirst he only had seen in himself before.

 

She wanted revenge on the person who had hurt her comrade.  Sometimes her gang seemed less like a gang and more like a sisterhood.

 

“Why don’t you get the police to search his house, if Elizabeth couldn’t find anything?” Nico asked her quietly.  “Surely the police would listen to a tip from Artemis.”

 

“That’s the problem, we tried that.  Artemis tipped them off and the police say that they searched his home, but couldn’t find anything suspicious.  He even consented to the search.  So he has to have been moving the girls, but we’ve never seen him leave his home except to go to work.  That’s why we’re here, we hope to catch him in  _ something.   _ Doing this in public also makes it safer for you, and well, you know what I promised Bianca” Thalia replied, seemingly still laser focused.

 

“There!” She hissed at him.  Nico focused on the wharf again, cursing himself for not staying vigilant.  Sure enough, a middle aged man was walking near the filthy water.  His brown hair was greying and clearly falling out.  He was about the same height as Thalia, with a briefcase half the size of him at his side.  Nico eyed his long coat suspiciously, wondering if he was hiding anything.  That would make the job more difficult.

 

“Wait until he reaches the dock before making yourself known,” Thalia instructed quietly.  “And don’t deviate from the plan.”

 

Nico nodded, hiding his gun inside his own coat.  Once the man reached the dock, he glanced around furtively before stepping out of the dingy alleyway.

 

He tried to mask his footsteps, but the man heard him approach when he was a few meters away.  His eyes opened wide when he recognized Nico.

 

Up close, Nico could see he was a more heavyset man, with a square jaw and stubble on his chin.  Sweat beaded on his receding hairline.  He tried to cover his momentary look of terror, but it was too late.  He feared Nico, and that gave Nico the upper hand.

 

“I suggest you follow me,” he said quietly to the man.  “We have something to discuss.”

 

The man shook his head wildly, eyes practically popping from his head.

 

“No!  I suggest you leave me alone, I’ve done nothing wrong!” He said loudly, before glancing around desperately to ensure no one had overheard.

 

Nico gave him a small but ferocious grin, one that had made even Bianca shiver.

 

“There’s nothing to fear then, is there?  Follow me,” he said, staring the man in the eye.  The man’s fingers twitched and inched towards the hem of his coat.  

 

“Never!  Leave if you value your life!” He hissed, reaching into his coat.  Nico took a sharp breath and felt his insides churn.  He had hoped it wouldn’t come to this.

 

He reached into his coat as well, when a loud cheery voice cut through the air.

 

“Professor Lund!  I have the results from the laboratory!”

 

The man, Lund, hurriedly closed his trench coat.  Nico’s eyes widened in horror.  He knew that voice.

 

“You need to see this!”

 

_ No, no, no. _

 

“Nobody could have predicted these results!”

 

Nico hurriedly took his hand out of his coat.  He couldn’t a pull a gun out in front of-

 

Will Solace ran up to them, sunlight bouncing and reflecting off his damn golden hair.  He came to a stop and bent forward with his hands on his knees, panting.  Lund’s eyes flickered between him and Nico, obviously not knowing what to do.

 

Will straightened up and shoved a small stack of papers in Lund’s hands.  

 

“Here!  They found the subject’s capillaries remain- Nico?” He asked in surprise.  Lund’s eyes got even bigger.

 

“Will, how do you know this boy?” He asked worriedly, stepping to the side so Will stood between him and Nico.  

 

Rage flashed quickly through Nico.  What sort of coward used their own student as a shield?

 

“Oh, uh, that’s not important!” Will assured him.  “He’s my friend.  Nico, you know my professor?”

 

Nico had never felt more lost.  His thoughts flashed briefly to Thalia, who was no doubt watching him in utter confusion. This wasn’t supposed to happen.  As long as Will was here, he couldn’t show his pistol.  He felt his first real flash of annoyance at the boy who saved his life.

 

“Acquaintance of mine,” he spat out, hoping he didn’t sound too disgusted.  “In fact, he was just about to come to my manor to discuss something with me.”

 

Will looked surprised.  

 

“Oh, really?  Is everything alright?”

 

“Fine, fine,” Lund said near frantically, hand twitching.  “Although I’m afraid I have some other business to attend to.  Thank you for the results, William.”

 

With that, he backed up and signalled a waiting carriage.  Nico felt his insides clench and unclench as he watched him climb in the carriage.  What could he do?  With Will here, he was stuck.  There was no chance he was involving Will in this part of his life.

 

“Shame he had to leave so quickly, I’d been hoping to discuss that study with him,” Will said with his usual brightness.  “So how are you, Nico?  I’m still expecting that invitation for tea.”

 

“Right, that,” Nico said, eyes darting to where Thalia was crossing the road, looking enraged.  “Tell you what, I’ll send you an invitation for this Saturday.”

 

Will shook his head. 

 

“Sorry, Saturday is no good for me.  I have medical exams all day.  What if-”

 

His voice cut off when Thalia grabbed Nico’s arm, looking between the two of them.

 

“Tell me who this is, Nico,” she said angrily.  “I knew we shouldn’t have done this in public, even if it did make it safer for you.  Who the hell are you, and what do you know about Lund?  God damn it, you ruined everything.”

 

Will’s eyes widened at Thalia’s expression of rage.

 

“Um, hi, I’m Will Solace.  I was just giving Professor Lund something when I recognized Nico.  We’re friends,” he said hastily.  Thalia raised an eyebrow at Nico.  “Um, sorry, but what did I ruin?”

 

Nico returned Thalia’s scowl.  He hadn’t wanted Will to get caught up in this.

 

“So you’re one of his students then?” Thalia asked flatly.  Will nodded. “Good, I was hoping to talk to one of you.”

 

Nico bit back a groan.

 

“Looks like you’re getting your tea early.”

 

An untouched plate of biscuits lay on the mahogany table, a small assortment arranged neatly on the china.  Hazel had taken one look at the two new faces before announcing she would prepare tea.  She had presented this to the two bemused guests before retreating back into the kitchen with the promise of a fuller meal.  Nico felt a little guilty he wasn’t helping her, societal expectations damned, but leaving Thalia alone with Will seemed like the worst possible action right now.

 

The tea, imported from China, was being sipped by all of them almost robotically, Will thought to himself.  He drank his tea in an effort to make a bizarre situation a little more normal.

 

The girl, who had introduced herself as Thalia, broke the silence first.

 

“What do you know about Lund?” She asked bluntly, looking directly at Will.  He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and set down his teacup.

 

“He’s my Anatomy professor.  I always thought he was brilliant.  I had stayed after today to help with a laboratory experiment because I needed to make up a lesson.” Will answered.  Thalia nodded.

 

“What was the experiment?” She questioned harshly.  Nico muttered a soft warning to her under her breath.

 

Will looked down sheepishly.

 

“Just seeing how long a cadaver could bruise for after death.  I, uh, was there because I had thrown up instead of finishing today's dissection and I couldn’t fail.”

 

Nico held in a soft snort of laughter, but Thalia frowned, eyebrows drawn together in concern.

 

“He teaches dissections?  Of real human cadavers?”

 

Will nods.

 

“Well, he is the Anatomy professor.  It’s important for students to be familiar with the organs and insides of the human body.  Oh, and the cadavers are donated by people who agreed to have their bodies used for research after death and the morgue donates any unidentifiable people.  We’ve been receiving quite a few of those lately,” Will added.

 

Thalia and Nico made eye contact, alarm on both of their faces.  The temperature in the room seemed to drop dramatically.  Will noticed the sudden tension and frowned.

 

“So what’s going on?” He asked.  Thalia bit her lip and looked back at him.

 

“Are these cadavers, the unidentifiable ones, mostly younger females?” Thalia asked him carefully, tone measured.

 

“Hmm, they have been recently,” Will mused aloud.  “Why, what’s wrong?  Is Professor Lund a criminal or something?”

 

Nico slumped down in his chair and covered his face with his hands.

 

“He has his students do the dirty work for him,” he spat out venomously.  Will just looked more confused.

 

Thalia sighed and leaned over and poked Nico.

 

“He is a criminal,” Thalia said, addressing Will.  “He has been taken prostitutes home with him, so that they’re never heard of again.  We originally thought it was a kidnapping, but after some… probing of our own, we realized it was a case of, well, human trafficking.  Not sex trafficking, but organ trafficking.  It looks like he’s been taking the girls to work with him, and letting his students get their hands dirty.  He’s an Anatomy professor, of course he knows what’s the most valuable in today’s trade.  Oh, and he’s been selling illegal drugs but that’s the least of his crimes.”

 

Thalia’s voice was empty, void of emotion.  Will’s mouth had dropped open, horror evident on his face.

 

“He’s what?  You mean I’ve been… Oh my God. I-I can’t believe this.  That’s horrific.  We’ve all been  _ helping _ him?  I think I’m about to be sick,” Will rambled, eyes wide and fists clenched.  “And-And you two found this all out?  By yourselves?”

 

Nico, still slumped, shook his head.

 

“It was all Thalia and her gang.  She just dragged me along to be the bait.”

 

Will turned to face Thalia, big blue eyes wide in surprise and horror.

 

“You-You’re in a  _ gang _ ?”

 

Thalia smirked, but it lacked her usual enthusiasm.  She just looked tired.

 

“Ever heard of the Hunters of Artemis?  I hear we’re a little infamous among the upper class after that incident with Her Majesty the Queen.”

 

Will nodded, starting to look a little less like a fish out of water.

 

“It was a little more than an ‘incident’, but yes, you certainly are.  But what should we do about Professor Lund?”

 

Thalia shook her head vehemently.

 

“No, no, no.  There’s no ‘we’ about this.  Keep your nose out of it, little boy.  It doesn’t concern a wealthy to-be doctor.  Nico seems to think we can trust you, and I trust his judgement.  That’s the only reason I told you anything.  Now it’s time to toddle on home and enjoy a nice dinner with your family, and tomorrow you can wake up and go to the school Daddy’s paying so much money for.  Nothing changes for you,” Thalia said firmly.

 

Will scowled and met her eyes.

 

“I can help!  I know Professor Lund well, and can even take you into the laboratory where the dissections take place.  What makes me any different from you?  Nico’s of nobility too,” he said with the same passion Nico had always associated with him.  Nico felt a swoop in his stomach.  It was good to see Will back to his usual self.

 

Thalia sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

 

“We’re different because we have nothing to lose,” she said bluntly, “And you have a future.  Don’t you dare give that up.”

 

Will went quiet, not sure how to respond to that.  Part of him wanted to shout that wasn’t true.  Everyone had a future, and something to lose.  But he also understood what she saying.

 

The door opened, drawing all eyes to it.  Hazel stood in the doorway, smiling cheerfully and holding a tray.

  
“I brought us a proper tea,” she said happily, smile beginning to slip as she looked around the room.  “Not a good time?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo, that chapter was fun to write. I should be able to maintain a more regular update schedule now that I have more free time, so look for some more updates coming soon! Any comments with criticism, suggestions, predictions, or the entire Bee Movie script if you're so inclined would be much appreciated (✿◠‿◠)


	7. King of Spades

“Here,” Will whispered, pushing open a heavy door and pulling the key out of the lock.  “It’s the room three doors down on the right.”

 

Nico slipped in, treading carefully on the shining wood floor.  He tightened his mask around his face and turned to Will.

 

“Let’s go,” he muttered.  Will stared at him wordlessly, not focusing on what he was saying.  “Will?”

 

Will shook his head and his golden hair bounced, nervously tightening his own mask. 

 

“Sorry, it’s just your mask brings attention to your eyes and you have, uh, soulful eyes,” Will admitted sheepishly, voice catching on the word, like it wasn’t the one he’d been thinking.  Nico was glad the darkness concealed the sudden flush on his cheeks.

 

“Focus, please,” he muttered.  “Don’t make me regret taking you up on this.”

 

Will nodded and crept down the hallway.  Nico resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the exaggerated, careful steps.  Then again, Will was considerably larger than him, and he would have to be more careful not to make too much noise.  He didn’t think the school would have anyone in it seeing as it was a day school, but he had learned from very young that some risks weren’t worth taking.

 

Will opened the door quietly and winced at the slight squeak.

 

“This is where the lectures take place,” he said, gesturing at the benches and podium. He pointed at a door on the far side of the room.  “That’s where the students do the dissections.”

 

Nico muttered a quiet thanks and wove between benches when he stopped suddenly.  Will walked into him and cursed quietly.

 

“Why did you stop?” Will whispered.

 

“That,” Nico hissed, pointing at the door.  The benches had blocked a small, flickering light barely visible from the crack underneath the door.  Will stood on his toes to see over Nico and froze.

 

“Someone’s here,” Will said quietly.  Nico nodded and pulled the pistol from his coat.  Will stepped back at the sight of it slightly, eyes widening.  Nico held it up and crept up to the door, wishing he had Thalia beside him.  Will wasn’t the most reassuring presence in this situation.

 

“Stay here, I’ll handle this alone,” Nico whispered to him.  Will shook his head stubbornly.

 

“I’m not letting you go into a dangerous situation by yourself,” he insisted. “Just pretend I’m not there.’

 

Nico bit back a frustrated groan, and just hoped he could protect him.

 

“One… two… three!” Nico whispered, and kicked open the door, pointing his pistol out in front of him.

 

Nico’s blinks and in the moment it took his eyes to adjust to the dim light, he had a pistol pointed right between his eyes.

 

“Professor Lund!” Will exclaimed, getting in front of Nico.  Nico shoved him aside and stepped forward so he was protecting Will.  Stupid boy, he wasn’t even armed.

 

“What are you doing?” Nico demanded, glaring at the criminal in front of him.  He glanced down and felt his insides twist.  The man’s hand were dripping red, glistening with the dark maroon of deoxygenated blood.  A briefcase lay open on the table, filled with sealed containers, each containing a dark murky object.  One of the containers was smashed across the floor, the liquid leaking from it matching the liquid coating Lund’s hands.

 

“That’s from last week’s dissection,” Will whispered quietly.  Nico carefully aimed his pistol between the sweating man’s eyes..

 

“Give me one reason not to end you right here, right now,” he said quietly, threat in his voice.  Lund’s eyes darted around the room frantically.

 

“Why little Lord Di Angelo, I’m surprised to see you here. After the terrible tragedy that took your sister, I would have thought you would have stayed far, far away from us.  Did her death not teach you a lesson?  All the better for us, I suppose.  You’re healthy and young.  Any part of you would fetch me a pretty penny,” he said, attempting to feign nonchalance.  A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.

 

Nico’s heart skipped a beat when he mentioned Bianca.  He took a quick breath to steady himself before resuming his focus.

 

“What do you know about my sister?  Do you work for Talos?” Nico demanded, finger ghosting over the trigger.  “Answer me, or I swear to God I’ll kill you!”

 

The man took an involuntary step back.

 

“All I know about your sister is she stuck her nose where she shouldn’t have, like you’re doing now.  If you don’t leave us alone you’ll pay a similar price,” he snarled back.  Nico took a step forward, gun carefully aimed.

 

“Who is ‘us’?” Nico asked angrily.  “Who do you work for, that has made you so cocky and sure of yourselves?  That has made you feel justified in taking my Bianca’s life?”

 

The man broke eye contact with Nico to smile blissfully at the ceiling.

 

“Why, God of course.  We’re doing God’s bidding.  It was by His command Talos killed your sinful sister.  But you’re no better, are you little Lord?  He tells me you’re a sodomite, a sinner worse than a murderer.  Are you, little Lord?  Should I put you down the way I put your disgusting sister down?”

 

Nico’s eyes flashed in rage as fear clenched his insides.  This man knew nothing about him, knew nothing of a secret he would keep all his life.  He needed to be silenced.

 

“I have no love for a God that ordered my sister’s execution!” Nico shouted, and reached for the trigger.

 

“Stop!”

 

Nico froze, hand still on the trigger as a larger, suntanned hand covered his.

 

“Stop it, Nico!  This man is a vile, disgusting creature, but he isn’t worth getting blood on your hands.  Please, we’ll turn him in to the police.  He can spend the rest of his life rotting in a prison cell.  Just don’t kill him!” Will pleaded, one hand covering Nico’s hand on the gun and the other resting on his shoulder.  Nico shook silently with terror and rage, with eyes only for the sick bastard in front of him.

 

“His people killed my sister, Will! And he has a gun too, let me kill him!” Nico shouted.  Lund watched in mild amusement, but never lowered his pistol.

 

“This isn’t what your sister would have wanted for you, Nico!” Will replied fervently, stepping between the two of them.  

 

“She’s dead, she can’t tell me what she wants!” Nico argued, trying to push around him when a loud gunshot echoed throughout the chamber.  Nico fell to the floor instinctively but never felt an impact. He looked up in puzzlement to see Lund’s body, eyes wide in surprise, fall to the floor.  Blood brighter than that which coated his hands appeared as a small circle on his shirt, slowly growing and expanding, like water spilled on a cloth.

 

Nico looked up in time to see a shadowy figure step out of the shadows.   _ Thalia _ .

 

Her electric blue eyes flashed with blind rage as the sharpened nails of her left hand cut little half moons of blood in her palm.  A gun, still smoking, hung loosely in her grasp as she stepped forward, pointed the deadly machine at the fallen man, and shot him again.  And again.  She shot him twelve times in total, all aiming at his chest.

 

“Twelve bullets to the chest,” she told him angrily.  “That’s what you gave her, and that’s what you’ll receive.”

 

The man did not respond.

 

She stepped towards him and pulled out a tiny dagger from her belt.  Crouching down, she slashed at his face with a few strokes until he was too disfigured to be recognizable.

 

“That’s for Elizabeth, you sick bastard, and all the other girls whose lives you took. Artemis will not let your little organization continue after you took the life of one of her own.  You died after dooming them.”

 

Thalia looked up and met Nico’s eyes and for the first time in his life, he was afraid of her.

 

Her eyes were flashing coldly, alight with danger.  It was clear what she was.  Thalia was a Hunter.

 

She turned away, dropping the empty gun beside the man.

 

“I told you to stay out of this, little Lord Sunshine,” she said quietly, not turning to face either of them.  A shiver went up Will’s back.  “And Nico?  You should have killed him when you had the chance.”

 

She spat that out venomously, a cold anger in her voice.  With that, she crouched and leapt into the shadows like a cat, silent and graceful.  Her gun lay abandoned on the floor, next to the fallen man.  His eyes were wide and glassy in death, hands flopped uselessly at his sides.  Nico took one look at his aged, weaselly face and felt his insides churn with unsettlement.  A serene, peaceful smile remained on his face, almost as if the wind had changed direction and frozen it in place.  Even as the man had felt the bullet enter his back, he had been unafraid of what came next, holding the same surety Talos must have felt when he unloaded his gun into Bianca’s chest.  What gave this group, this  _ cult  _ their strength?

 

“Let’s go, Will,” Nico muttered, turning away from the body. How fitting, for a man to die in the very room where he profited from his killings.  “Someone will find him in the morning.”

 

Nico turned around, gun still held loosely in his fingers, when he froze.  Will was on his knees, staring blankly at the dead man as his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides.  His normally warm face was a cold, deathly pale.  Sweat glistened on his colorless skin.

 

“Will?” Nico asked carefully, setting his pistol aside and kneeling next to Will. “I’m going to need you to stand up now.  Someone will be here soon.”

 

Will shook his head mutely, eyes never leaving his old professor.  Nico bit his lip.  He remembered this.  Seeing your first murder always left someone a little disoriented.

 

_ Nico was seven, laying on the carpet of his home and peeping through the crack under the door into the dining room.  Bi was there, talking to an old angry looking man who was glaring at her. _

 

_ “I can not go through with this, it violates every principle I still hold!” Bianca said, raising her voice slightly.  The man leaned forward. _

 

_ “You have no choice, woman.  If you don’t, well, things will get very ugly for you,” the man hissed.  Bianca laughed. _

 

_ “You have no power over me.  You’re just a lowly criminal with big dreams who thinks he can threaten a Di Angelo.  I will always win in a fight, Jean.” _

 

_ The man reclined again on his chair, looking amused at her outburst. _

 

_ “Perhaps so.   But you have a little brother, do you not?  A boy who likes to play in the garden and take walks through the trees.  And you’re not always around to supervise him, are you?  It would be such a shame if something were to… happen to him,” he said snidely.  Bianca reached under the table where Nico knew she always kept a fearsome looking dagger, eyes wide with rage. _

 

_ “If you lay a finger on my Nico, you will only be the first to die,” she threatened, and with a quick, practiced throw, she sent the carefully sharpened dagger through the man’s throat.  His eyes were wide in surprise and his hand only brushed his pistol, never drawing it out.  Nico gaped as he fell to the ground, blood spurting from his neck in a hellish fountain of crimson.  Tears started to well up in his eyes, but he didn’t make a sound. _

 

_ Bianca crossed the room in a few easy strides and threw the door open, wrinkling her button nose at the sight of the fallen man.  She glanced down at Nico, still lying quietly on the floor, and her eyes went wide with shock. _

 

_ “Oh no, Neeks, please tell me you weren’t watching,” she begged, dropping to her knees and pulling him into a tight embrace.  “Nothing’s wrong, I promise.  Breathe, darling.  In through the nose, out through the mouth.  Let’s count to ten together.” _

 

The memory hit Nico like a freight train and he felt momentarily breathless, remembering her warm and comforting embrace.  He shook his head and cast the memory aside for the moment, pulling Will into him the way Bianca had done all those years ago.

 

“Remember to breathe, Will,” Nico told him quietly, running his pale hand through the thick golden locks.  “In through the nose, out through the mouth.  Let’s count to ten together.  One… count with me, Will, two, three, four…”

 

Will shook his head, not responding. He seemed to be oblivious to the smaller boy.  Nico put his hands on both sides of the warm, suntanned face and gently guided him until they were facing each other.

 

“What’s your name?” Nico asked him, thumbs gently brushing the other boy’s cheeks.

 

“William Solace,” he responded quietly, breaths beginning to even out.  Nico nodded.

 

“Good,” he said. “And where are we?”

 

The color slowly returned to Will’s cheeks and his body seemed to unfreeze.  He took a deep breath and met Nico’s eyes.

 

“This is my school,” he whispered, voice catching.  Will closed his eyes for a moment and began again, voice stronger.  “I’m training to become a doctor.”

 

“That’s right,” Nico said tentatively.  “How do you feel?”

 

Will bit his lip and looked away.

 

“Better,” he admitted.  ‘It’s just… I thought, after being around cadavers all day for research, I was desensitized to death.  But this is the first time I really saw, well, death.”

 

“I understand,” Nico said honestly.  Will met his eyes once again and Nico felt like he could drown in the deep blue wells.

 

“Thank you,” Will said gratefully.  “For calming me down.”

 

Nico gave him a weak smile.

 

“Of course.  It’s my fault you’re involved with this in the first place.”

 

A crash echoed around the school, followed by running footsteps. The two boys broke apart, staring at each other with wide eyes.  They stayed in shocked silence for a second, before everything caught up with Nico.

 

“We need to leave, now!” Nico hissed, jumping to his feet.  Will followed suit, a look of confusion on his face.  He nodded numbly and ran after Nico, sparing one last glance at his former professor.  Nico reached the door before whirling around and grabbing Thalia’s pistol, grimacing as his fingers brushed blood pooling on the floor.  The two boys ran as fast as they could, keeping in the shadows.  A noise echoed from just around the corner, followed by the sound of men shouting. Nico looked around wildly before wrenching open a closet, pulling Will in with him.  He tumbled against Nico as Nico slammed the door shut.  They tried to mask their heavy breathing as the sound of running passed them, both closing their eyes tightly.

 

“Who are they?” Will whispered, after they had stayed in silence for a solid minute.  Nico sighed.

 

“Police,” he whispered back.  “Someone must have heard the gunshots.  Damn it, Thalia.”

 

“Do you still have her pistol?” Will asked.  Nico nodded and held up the tiny silver machine.  Will recoiled and bumped against the door, causing Nico to roll his eyes.

 

“Calm down, there aren’t any bullets left in it,” he whispered.  Will smiled sheepishly and slid to the floor.  Nico copied him with a sigh.

 

“So how long are we stuck here for?” Will asked.

 

“Until we hear the police leave,” Nico replied.  “Hopefully they’ll think Thalia was the only one here.”

 

“How did she know to be here, anyway?” Will wondered.  Nico bit his lip.

 

“She mentioned her Hunter sister, Elizabeth, had died.  Elizabeth was the one to investigate them,” Nico added. “Thalia probably went to avenge her, as is custom.  He wasn’t at home, so this was the only other place she knew he might be.  I don’t think she knew he was part of the group responsible for Bianca’s death until she got here and heard him.  Damn it.”

 

Will sighed.

 

“I was so caught up in my own horror I forgot to ask how you were, Nico,” Will said.  

 

“I miss her,” Nico admitted.  “I miss her so much, and he tried to use that against me.  But I’m also excited.  This is the first proper lead I’ve gotten in a long time.”

 

“I think I would have liked her,” Will said thoughtfully.  “But what did you learn from him?”

 

“Talos wasn’t working alone.  He’s part of some sort of organization, that dabbles in organ trafficking.  I think Lund may have been their only supplier because it isn’t widespread enough for me to have heard about it from any of my sources.  It seems like it’s less of an organization and more of a cult from what he was saying.  Their belief in a God motivates them, to the point where they have almost no fear of death,” Nico summarized.  Will nodded.

 

“I see,” he said.  “So what will we do next?”

 

“Lower your voice, we still need to whisper,” Nico hissed.  “And  _ I  _ will be investigating local cults to see if I can find a link.”

 

“I can help!” Will insisted quietly.  “Please, don’t go into danger alone.”

 

“I have Thalia,” Nico pointed out.  “And years of experience and training.”

 

Will opened his mouth to argue when a dull crash echoed in the hallway, followed by shouts.  Both boys froze, holding their breath.  Nico being discovered at the scene of a crime would have repercussions.  Will being discovered would lead to questions he couldn’t answer, and shame for his family.  The only thing to do was to pray the police wouldn’t open the little closet they found themselves in.

 

“Beckendorf is fetching the forensic team now, and we’re putting the whole school on lockdown,” a man’s voice said from the hallway.  Nico’s eyes widened and he mouthed a quiet curse.  “Hopefully whoever was here hasn’t left yet.”

 

Will strained to hear what he was saying as the two pairs of footsteps got farther away.  Nico gently pushed him against the wall and knelt down, peering under the door.  Just like a stretching cat, Will thought to himself vaguely.  

 

Nico stood up again and leaned towards Will.

 

“On the count of three, I’ll open the door and we need to run to the door as quickly and quietly as possible, otherwise we’ll get locked in.  Follow me once we’re outside.  Understand?” Nico whispered to him urgently.  Will nodded.

 

“On the count of three,” Nico repeated. “One… two… three!”

 

The Italian turned the doorknob with one deft movement and grabbed Will’s hand, pulling him out with him.  They sprinted as quickly as they could, trying to keep their footfalls light and breaths quiet.  Will winced as the floor creaked beneath his feet.  Nico was considerably better at being quiet than he was.  Nico pushed open the door and audibly breathed a sigh of relief when it opened easily at his touch.  The police obviously hadn’t finished locking the school up.  He took his hand out of Will’s and gently closed the door behind him so it didn’t slam shut.  Both boys ran, Will blindly following Nico and hoping he had a plan.  No shouts of alarm echoed after them, Nico noticed.  Maybe the number of police here was still small.

 

Nico led them to the dirty river that Will could watch the boats on from his History of Medicine classroom, where he stopped suddenly.

 

“We need to swim across,” Nico said hurriedly.  Will’s eyes went wide.

 

“What?”

 

“We probably have drops of blood on us from when Thalia took the shot, and dogs can follow that.  We need to end the trail,” Nico explained quickly.  Will shook his head.

 

“I can barely swim!” he protested.  Being a noble often didn’t leave much time for swimming.

 

“Can you swim well enough to cross this river?” Nico asked, annoyance lacing his tone.  Will eyed the river dubiously.

 

“Probably, but I’m not sure.”  Will said. Nico sighed.

 

“That’s good enough for me,” he sighed and without a word of warning, pushed Will into the dirty water, following him with a graceful dive.

 

The cold water was like a shock to his system, giving him a surge of adrenaline as he rose to the top of the water, spluttering and trying to tread water.  Nico was crossing the river in easy strokes, so Will took a deep breath to steel himself and followed, kicking his legs and trying to imitate Nico.  Nico reached for the solid ground, a good half meter away from the surface of the water, and swung himself on to the mud and grass with the agility of a cat.  He reached out a hand for Will and pulled him up with him.  They sat motionless on the bank, trying to catch their breath.

 

“Nice swimming,” Nico said wryly.  Will blushed and laughed quietly.

 

“I suppose I’m better at it than I realized.  You really scared me there,” Will said, glancing at Nico.  Nico didn’t look apologetic.

 

“You would have been more scared sitting in a holding cell waiting for your rich father to come get you,” Nico pointed out.  “Speaking of, we need to get much farther away from here.”

 

“My home is nearby,” Will pointed out.  “You can hide in my room for the night.”

 

Nico shook his head.

 

“Too risky,” he said bluntly.  “But I should take you there, and maybe you could spare me some dry clothes?”

 

Will nodded eagerly.

 

“Yes, I can do that.  Should we go?”

 

Nico jumped to his feet again and held out a hand for Will.  His eyes were focused, but something about him seemed distracted, like there was something that wouldn't stop turning around and around in his mind.

 

“Follow me again, if we go through the neighborhood with the brothels and opium houses we won’t call attention to ourselves.  Are you ready?”

 

A flash of horror appeared on Will’s face but he steeled himself, mouth set in a determined line.  He took Nico’s hand and hauled himself to his feet.

 

“I'm ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the story begins to come together! I know I always say this, but please tell me what you thought in the comments! I was a little hesitant about posting this chapter so I'd love to hear what you think! Thank you for sticking with this story (*⌒∇⌒*)


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